UNIVERSITY OF SUFFOLK TUITION FEE POLICY 2020/21
University of Suffolk Tuition Fee Policy
This document sets out the University of Suffolk (“the University”) policy concerning the charging and collection of fees.
This policy comes into force for all courses of study from the academic year starting 1 August 2020, at which point it supersedes all previous versions. It is due for review in October 2021 by the Director of Finance & Planning.
The Finance and Planning Department will only discuss accounts including fee and payment options over the phone after security questions are answered correctly. Please have your student number ready when you contact the department. Students must give written consent to the department if they would like a third party to discuss their account on their behalf.
This policy is applicable to all new and continuing students studying at Ipswich, one of the University of Suffolk Partner Colleges or at any other partner institution, with the exception of the following:
• Students studying the Foundation Degree in Youth Justice in conjunction with UNITAS should contact UNITAS directly with any queries in the first instance. Alternatively, students can contact the University of Suffolk Partnerships department ([email protected]).
• Students studying through the Higher Apprenticeship Scheme should refer to section 4 only.
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CONTENTS
Section A – Tuition Fee Information
1. General Tuition Fee Information
Section B – International Students
2. University of Suffolk International Students Information
3. LSC International Students Studying at the University of Suffolk Ipswich Campus / International Students Studying at East Coast College on the HNC/HND Nautical Science Course
Section C – Funding Sources for Tuition Fees
4. Courses funded by contracts with the University of Suffolk
5. Higher Apprenticeships
6. University of Suffolk and Partner College Employees
Section D – Payment of Tuition Fees
7. Paying tuition fees
8. Paying in instalments (Home and EU students only)
9. Employer/Sponsor paying fees
10. Student Loan Company paying fees
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Section E – Refund of Tuition Fees
11. Refund
Section F – Tuition Fee Liability Points
12. General Information
Section G – Credit Control
13. General Information
14. Sanctions
Section H – Bursaries & Scholarships
15. General Information
Appendix 1
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A. TUITION FEE INFORMATION
1. General Information
1.1 Within this policy, and in all other official University of Suffolk documentation, the term ‘fees’ is deemed to include all standard and supplementary tuition fees and any other fees.
1.2 For some courses, additional fees may be chargeable for optional trips, residential courses and/or consumables. Any additional compulsory course costs have been detailed in the Definitive Course Records, which can be found on MySuffolk (login required).
1.3 If modules need to be re-taken in order to continue a course, fees will be charged at the standard University of Suffolk fee as listed on the University website.
1.4 Upon enrolment, students seeking RPL (Recognition of Prior Learning) will initially be charged full-time fees, or 100% of the module fees if part-time. 100% of the module fee applicable to the accreditation will subsequently be refunded upon confirmation of credits awarded. Full time undergraduate students awarded RPL that still have 90 credits or more to complete in an academic year will be invoiced the full-time fee.
1.5 For RPL awarded through experience, 50% of the module fee applicable to the accreditation will be charged, up to a maximum of £620 per application.
1.6 Fees for all courses are payable annually at the start of each academic year, defined as a twelve-month period.
1.7 The University will publish its tuition fees for courses, programmes and modules on its website prior to the start of an academic year.
1.8 Students will be required to pay the fees applicable to their programme of study. Fee levels are determined based on fee status and mode of attendance for each period of registration.
1.9 Any exceptional variations in tuition fees charged is at the sole discretion of the Director of Finance and Planning.
1.10 Undergraduate students that commenced their course prior to 1 September 2012 and are continuing without a change in mode of attendance or break in their studies are considered old regime students.
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1.11 Undergraduate students studying over 90 credits in an academic year will be invoiced full-time fees.
Undergraduate part-time students will be eligible to apply for a student loan from their relevant funding body1 if studying at least 25% of the full time equivalent (up to the maximum amount approved by the Student Loan Company. See https://www.gov.uk/get-undergraduate-student-loan).
1.12 Undergraduate students studying one year of study over two academic years will be invoiced 50% of the total full-time tuition fees in each academic year.
1.13 Students studying accelerated degrees are subject to the liability points as detailed in Appendix 1 and fees may be calculated in conjunction with engagement on the course as defined in section 12.4. Tuition fees charged are not influenced by the credits or level awarded to a student in an academic year.
1.14 Fees for postgraduate courses will be subject to at least an annual inflationary increase at 1 September of each year; increased fees will apply irrespective of the year in which study was commenced.
1.15 Regulations to determine whether a student is a Home, EU or an international student are available on the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) website at www.ukcisa.org.uk. These regulations are used to determine a student’s fee status.
1.16 The onus is upon individual students to provide sufficient information and documentation to satisfy the institution that they meet the criteria to be classified as home status for the purpose of fee calculation. The University’s decision is final on whether a student is a home, EU or an international student, but will be based upon the facts that the student provides. Only certain categories of students will be charged the ‘home- EU’ fee.
1 Relevant funding bodies are Student Finance England, Student Finance Wales, Student Finance Northern Ireland and the Student Awards Agency for Scotland
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B. INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
2. University of Suffolk International Students
2.1 Individuals requiring a Tier 4 visa to study in the UK will need to prove when applying that they have sufficient funds to cover tuition fee costs for the first year of their course, as well as 9 months’ living expenses.1
2.2 Tier 4 international applicants are required to pay a £3,000 deposit in order to secure a place on their chosen programme of study and to receive a Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies (CAS) for their visa application. A CAS will not be issued until the deposit has been received. Payment terms may vary if you are studying with a partner institution. Please see session 3 for further information.
2.3 International applicant deposits will be subtracted from the total amount of tuition fees owed. The remaining balance will be invoiced upon enrolment at the University and must be paid within 30 days of receipt of invoice.
2.4 Deposits will be reimbursed in full, less a £100 administration fee, if evidence of a visa rejection is received and verified from the relevant UK visa office. Refunds will not be given if the reason for the visa rejection is due to the failure to follow UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) guidance or submission of fraudulent documents.
2.5 Refunds will be considered on a case-by-case basis and the University reserves the right to withhold any refund until the student can satisfy the institution that he or she has not breached any terms of their visa sponsorship, if applicable.
2.6 In all cases, if a Tier 4 student withdraws from their studies, the University is required to inform the UK Visas and Immigration office (UKVI) who will expect a student to leave the country within 60 days. At the end of the 60-day period, UKVI may curtail a student’s visa without notice.
3. LSC International Students Studying at the University of Suffolk Ipswich Campus /
International Students Studying at East Coast College on the HNC/HND Nautical Science Course
3.1 Section 2 above applies except for 2.2 and 2.3. Please refer to 3.2 and 3.3 below.
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3.2 Applicants are required to pay a minimum 60% deposit in order to secure a place on their chosen programme of study and to receive a Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies (CAS) for their visa application. A CAS will not be issued until the deposit has been received. Please use your full name as the payment reference
3.3 International applicant deposits will be subtracted from the total amount of tuition fees owed. The remaining balance will be invoiced upon enrolment at the University and a minimum of 20% must be paid within 30 days of date of invoice. The remaining balance must be cleared within 3 months of invoice date
C. FUNDING SOURCES FOR TUITION FEES
4. Contract Funded Courses
4.1 Students on the following courses where tuition fees are funded by an employer contract with the University will not generally be required to pay tuition fees: • Foundation Degree in Network Engineering or Software Engineering. • Pre and Post Registration health courses including Continuing Professional Development courses where tuition fees are covered by a contract with Health Education England (HEE). • Return to Practice Nursing covered by a contract with HEE. • Foundation Degree in Youth Justice (UNITAS) • MSc in Leadership and Custodial Environments. (LACE) • Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) in conjunction with Suffolk and Norfolk School-centred initial teacher training (SCITT)
4.2 Students not covered by an employer contract, not sponsored by a funding body, or required to repeat study where the employer or other funder does not agree to meet fees for retakes, will be required to pay the applicable University tuition fee.
4.3 Students not covered by an employer contract with the University but are sponsored by their employer, should refer to Section 9.
5. Higher Apprenticeships
5.1 For students studying higher apprenticeships, the fee will be agreed between the apprentice’s employer and the University.
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5.2 Employers are liable for fees that are agreed with the University in excess of the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) fee caps. These excess fees will be invoiced directly to the employer.
5.3 For further information, please refer to the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) apprenticeship guidance.
6. University of Suffolk and Partner College Employees
6.1 All University employees wishing to undertake a course of study must present an appropriately authorized staff development form to the University’s Finance and Planning department prior to enrolment.
6.2 All employees at an official Partner College must have their employment confirmed by a senior member of staff at the Partner College to the University’s Finance and Planning department via an online staff development form before the start of each academic year. Recognised accredited HE employees of Partner Colleges must arrange confirmation of status from the Partnerships Office ([email protected]).
6.3 Further details and employee liability points for all University of Suffolk and Partner College employees, including rules upon leaving employment, can be found in the Support for Staff Academic Study and Continuing Professional Development Policy on MySuffolk.
D. PAYMENT OF TUITION FE ES
7. General Terms
7.1 The student will be provisionally notified of fees payable during online enrolment. The University reserves the right to amend fees charged should any errors or omissions be discovered.
7.2 Shortly after enrolment, all students and/or their sponsors will be invoiced for fees and any additional costs.
7.3 Students will be invoiced upon enrolment, irrespective of the semester in which the module will be studied. For the tuition fee liability points please see Appendix 1.
7.4 All invoices generated by the University are due for payment within 30 days of the date of invoice.
7.5 All tuition fees are payable to the University, regardless of the location of study.
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7.6 The student and/or their sponsor are responsible for the prompt payment of all fees due.
7.7 Fees for self-funding students may be paid by the following methods: • Online via a credit or debit card at https://onlinepayments.ucs.ac.uk
o We accept payment by VISA, MasterCard, VISA Purchasing, Maestro or Delta • By bank transfer to the University of Suffolk bank account:
o Sort Code: 20-46-67 o Account Number: 50207101 o IBAN Number: GB14 BARC 2046 6750 2071 01 o Swift Code: BARCGB22
8. Paying in instalments (Home and Home EU Students Only)
8.1 Self-funding students may opt to pay their tuition fees by instalments.
8.2 Undergraduate full-time students can pay in nine equal monthly instalments to start no later than the month after the course start date and should be received no later than the last working day of each month.
8.3 Postgraduate full-time students can pay tuition fees in three instalments by no later than the last working day of each month. Instalments are 33% of fees payable in the course start month, 33% of fees payable 4 months after course start and 34% of fees payable 7 months after course start.
8.4 Part time students wishing to pay in instalments can pay over the duration of their study period in the academic year. Payment periods may be shortened as appropriate. Students should contact [email protected] if they are unsure on the duration of their study to set appropriate instalments.
8.5 All tuition fees must be fully paid by the end of the study period in each academic year.
8.6 Students wishing to pay their instalments by direct debit should return a direct debit mandate form immediately after enrolment. Signed and completed forms should be emailed to [email protected]. All direct debits are collected on the last working day of each month. Changes to the amount of the direct debit will be communicated to students in accordance with the direct debit guarantee.
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8.7 Where changes made after enrolment impact tuition fees or the duration of study, adjustments will be made to the instalments value or duration. Changes will be communicated to students.
8.8 Failure to have a payment plan approved by Finance or to failure to adhere to an approved plan may result in chase actions and sanctions as detailed in sections 13 and 14.
9. Fees paid by Sponsor/Employer
9.1 Students who are sponsored to attend a course by an employer will be required to provide a completed Invoice Authorisation Form (IAF), signed by an appropriate person within their organisation, prior to commencing their course. The form should be emailed to [email protected].
9.2 Failure to submit a completed IAF will result in students being subject to chase actions and sanctions as detailed in sections 13 and 14.
9.3 If fees are only part-paid by an employer or sponsor, the balance of fees will be invoiced to the student shortly after the commencement of the course.
9.4 Students remain personally responsible for the payment of any additional fees in respect of trips, residentials and materials.
9.5 Should employers or sponsors fail to pay invoices for tuition fees, students will be held personally liable for the value of any outstanding fees.
10. Fees paid by the Student Loans Company (SLC)
10.1 Undergraduate students who expect all or part of their fees to be paid by a loan from the SLC must apply for loan funding prior to each year of study.
10.2 The University will be notified by the SLC of students that have been approved for a tuition fee loan. The SLC will pay fees directly to the University in instalments in line with confirmed attendance dates throughout the academic year.
10.3 It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that SLC funding is in place prior to the start of the course in each academic year. Until funding is secured, University tuition fees will be the personal responsibility of the student who will be chased for payment in accordance with the University Credit Control procedures as detailed in section 13.
10.4 Students who are suspended or under appeal may have their funding from the SLC suspended.
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E. REFUND OF TUITION FE ES
11. Refunds
11.1 Due to money laundering regulations, refunds can only be made to the account from which the payment was made originally.
11.2 If a course is closed during the 2020/21 academic year, or provision is withdrawn by the University for reasons other than as in section 10.4, and a suitable alternative course is not available, then a full refund of all tuition fees paid for the year in which the course is closed will be made. In these circumstances, bursaries and scholarships already paid to individual students will be honoured. The University will arrange to compensate students for additional travel costs incurred because of a change in the location of a course delivered by the University; the amount of this compensation will be at the discretion of the University. The University will not compensate for maintenance costs and lost time where it is not possible to preserve continuation of study and will not compensate for maintenance costs or lost time where students have to transfer courses or provider.
11.3 Refunds resulting from closure of a course or withdrawal of provision by the University will normally be made automatically to students within 28 working days of the withdrawal of such provision. This will be as follows:
• In relation to students in receipt of a tuition fee loan from the Student Loans Company (SLC), we will notify the SLC to zero the tuition fee loan payable to the University for the current year of study. This will lead to the SLC zeroing the tuition fee debt due to them by the student. • In relation to students who are self-funding their tuition fees, we will zero the debt for the current year of study and will refund the student any sums paid to the University in relation to that debt. • In relation to students whose tuition fees are paid by a sponsor, we will zero the debt for the current year of study and will refund the sponsor any fees paid to the University in relation to that debt.
11.4 The University will not be liable for the refund of fees to students (or their sponsors) or any other financial penalty should classes be cancelled due to war, fire, strike, lock-out, industrial action, tempest, accident, civil disturbance, or any other cause whatsoever beyond its control.
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F. TUITION FEE LIABILITY POINTS
12. General Information
12.1 Tuition fees will be charged in accordance with the liability points outlined in Appendix 1 when students withdraw, intercalate, transfer or change modules.
12.2 All students must notify the University of their confirmed withdrawal from their course via the online withdrawal request on O.A.S.I.S. The date this is submitted will be used to calculate fee liability. We cannot accept UCAS self-release clearing as a confirmation of withdrawal.
12.3 Tuition fees may be calculated in conjunction with engagement on the course as defined in section 11.4.
12.4 The University considers all areas of engagement, including, but not limited to, attending lectures, tutorials and other timetabled teaching events, submission of assignments, taking of exams, accessing online materials, using University facilities and communication with University staff.
12.5 Home / EU students withdrawing or intercalating with tuition fees payable, but before an approved tuition fee loan from the SLC is in place, may not be eligible to receive any funding from the SLC and will therefore be personally liable for any fees due.
12.6 The liability points for Postgraduate Research (PhD) students are based on enrolment date instead of course/ module start date.
12.7 Full time liability points will be applied to part time students studying year long modules.
12.8 Please see Appendix 1 for the liability points chargeable to students.
G. CREDIT CONTROL
13. General Information
13.1 Debts will be routinely chased once they fall outside of the standard University of Suffolk credit terms.
13.2 Chase action will normally be a series of emails or letters, together with telephone calls.
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13.3 The Finance and Planning department may contact the relevant Course Administrator or Partner College HE Administrator to discuss individual cases of non-payment of students’ fees to ensure effective communication of all relevant information surrounding the debt. Students should keep the Finance and Planning department informed of any circumstances that may lead to a delay in the payment of fees.
14. Sanctions
14.1 Debts remaining overdue may lead to the imposition of sanctions against the student account.
14.2 Where debt remains overdue on sponsor accounts, sanctions may be imposed on the student accounts.
14.3 Defaults on payment and overdue tuition fee debt is treated seriously and may lead to sanctions including (inter alia): • Suspension of library facilities • Suspension of IT access • Suspension from academic activities, including prevention from taking assessments, attending exams and viewing results online • Withholding of payments due from the University, such as bursary payments • Withholding of certification, diploma or parchment confirming qualifications and attendance at ceremonies • Withholding invitations to attend graduation ceremonies attendance at ceremonies • Withdrawal from the course • A bar on re-enrolling in the following or any subsequent academic years on any University of Suffolk course at any location.
14.4 The University reserves the right to refer unpaid accounts onto an external debt collection agency to pursue and recover sums due. The University may take legal action to recover the debt. Any associated costs will be added to the outstanding debt and this may affect your ability to obtain credit in the future.
14.5 For the avoidance of doubt, no sanctions will be imposed where full payment has been received into the University bank account or where an approved payment plan is in place and is adhered to.
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H. BURSARIES AND SCHOLARSHIPS
15. General Information Please refer to the Fees and Finance section of MySuffolk (login required) or the University of Suffolk website for information on all available bursaries and scholarships.
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Appendix 1 The dates below are in relation to a student studying in the 2020/21 academic year only. For students studying in subsequent academic years the dates will differ slightly and this table will be updated as soon as the new dates are available. Home / EU Students - Full Time These liability points are also applicable to part time students studying year long modules.
Course Start 25% Course Cost 50% Course Cost 100% Course Cost Month
Sep 20 – Nov 20 After 2 weeks of the course start date After 3 Jan 21 After 5 Apr 21
Dec 20 After 2 weeks of the course start date After 1 Feb 21 After 1 May 21
Jan 21 – Mar 21 After 2 weeks of the course start date After 5 Apr 21 After 1 Jul 21
Apr 21 – May 21 After 2 weeks of the course start date After 1 Jul 21 After 3 Jan 22
Jun 21 After 2 weeks of the course start date After 1 Aug 21 After 1 Feb 22
Jul 21 – Aug 21 After 2 weeks of the course start date After 3 Jan 22 After 4 Apr 22
Home / EU Students - Part Time Students studying year long modules should refer to the full time liability points above.
Module Start 25% Course Cost 50% Course Cost 100% Course Cost Month
Sep 20 – Nov 20 After 2 weeks of the course start date After 3 Jan 21 After 5 Apr 21
Dec 20 After 2 weeks of the course start date After 1 Feb 21 After 1 May 21
Jan 21 – Mar 21 After 2 weeks of the course start date After 5 Apr 21 After 1 Jul 21
Apr 21 – May 21 After 2 weeks of the course start date After 1 Jul 21 After 3 Jan 22
Jun 21 After 2 weeks of the course start date After 1 Aug 21 After 1 Feb 22
Jul 21 – Aug 21 After 2 weeks of the course start date After 3 Jan 22 After 4 Apr 22
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Appendix 1 (Continue)
International Students - Full Time These liability points are also applicable to part time international students studying year long modules.
Course Start 80% Course Cost 100% Course Cost Month
Sep 20 – Nov 20 After 2 weeks of the course start date After 3 Jan 21
Dec 20 After 2 weeks of the course start date After 1 Feb 21
Jan 21 – Mar 21 After 2 weeks of the course start date After 5 Apr 21
Apr 21 – May 21 After 2 weeks of the course start date After 1 Jul 21
Jun 21 After 2 weeks of the course start date After 1 Aug 21
Jul 21 – Aug 21 After 2 weeks of the course start date After 3 Jan 22
International Students - Part Time International students studying year long modules should refer to the full time liability points above.
Modules Start 80% Course Cost 100% Course Cost Month
Sep 20 – Oct 20 After 2 weeks of the course start date After 4 Dec 20
Nov 20 – Dec 20 After 2 weeks of the course start date After 5 Feb 21
Jan 21 – Feb 21 After 2 weeks of the course start date After 1 Apr 21
Mar 21 – Apr 21 After 2 weeks of the course start date After 4 Jun 21
May 21 – Jun 21 After 2 weeks of the course start date After 5 Jul 21
Jul 21 – Aug 21 After 2 weeks of the course start date After 1 Oct 21
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